The Galaxy in Peril
by KtyouUniverse
Summary: Starkiller has now erased the light side within him by killing Darth Vader and Rahm Kota, thus becoming Darth Starkiller. With his power in the Force, the galaxy's fate is in jeopardy. Rated T for violence and minor language.


Chapter 1: The Rise of Darth Starkiller

Starkiller stood in front of the ravaged Darth Vader. His former master was gravely injured. He was now at his mercy. Wasting no time, Starkiller grabbed Vader in a force grip. Drawing upon his anger and the dark side, he thrashed Vader from the wall to the glass window to the pillar. The Dark Lord lost his grip on his lightsaber and it clattered to the ground. Reaching out with the force, Starkiller grabbed the fallen lightsaber. With his newly-acquired blade, Starkiller charged forward, stabbing Vader with his own lightsaber. He then flipped to his back and ran him through with his own aqua-blue lightsaber. After a brief, moment, he retracted his lightsaber. Vader collapsed dead, his lightsaber deactivating automatically.

Starkiller looked down at what was his former master. His need for vengeance was complete. His master, who had betrayed him twice, had now paid with his life. Now, there was nothing to stop him from gaining the title of Sith Lord. For a moment, he felt guilty, buit he quickly brushed this aside. Nothing could change what had just occurred.

Starkiller leaped up to the platform where the Emperor resided. General Kota lay on the floor attempting to crawl away from the Emperor. The Emperor delivered a quick shock, causing the Jedi to collapse. Noticing Starkiller, he motioned him forward.

"Excellent. Lord Vader was a broken shadow of his former self. I knew that one day, you would replace him. You have just one final test."

Starkiller turned to look down at Kota, already getting an idea of what he needed to do.

"Destroy your Ties to the Jedi and at last, you will become a Sith LORD!"

Starkiller activated his lightsaber. Kota looked at Starkiller, his eyes begging Starkiller not to give into the dark side. For a moment, Starkiller felt sympathetic. He considered striking at the Emperor, but decided against that. He had already fallen from the light path when he struck Vader down. Crushing the last remnants of the light that he still held, he raised his lightaber and stabbed Kota through the heart. The Jedi was conscious for a second before collapsing dead. He was now dead. Starkiller looked at the Jedi, feeling no sympathy, feeling that everything he had down with this Jedi was a waste of his time and he admonished himself for ever considering following the light. He was now a Sith Lord

Starkiller turned to the Emperor, and fell to one knee. "It is done. The Jedi is dead."

The Emperor ignited his lightsaber. "You are hereby acknowledge you as a master of the dark side. You are now Darth Starkiller. You are the future of the Sith Order. And if you are truly worthy, you will defeat me and become a Dark Lord of the Sith." The blade touched both shoulders. "Rise, my apprentice."

Starkiller stood. He was now a Sith Lord. He had achieved his ultimate goal, what he always wanted. Although very exhilarating, he did not celebrate too much yet. As the Emperor's new enforcer, there was much work to be done, and he was eager to begin.

"What is thy bidding, my master?"

"With the deaths of these senators, the galaxy will be more submissive to my demands. However, there may be some who are inspired to action by their deaths. There may yet be a rebellion that rises. It will be your duty to crush my enemies and rebellions wherever they rise."

Starkiller nodded in understanding. Indeed, there would probably be those that would rise against the Empire once the death of the senators reached the public.

"You will command the Imperial Navy and Army. You will command and deploy them where I see fit. It will be your duty to eliminate all the enemies of the Empire. For now, I will alert the fleet that you have replaced Vader. Return to your ship and await further instructions."

Starkiller bowed and turned to leave. Keying into his comm, he radioed for Juno.

"Juno, land near the Emperor's observation deck."

"Copy that. What is going on?"

"I'll fill you in on the details."

Starkiller watched the _Rogue Shadow_ land. Formulating what he would say to Juno, he waited for the ramp to come down. Juno was already there. Immediately, her expression was perplexed.

"Where is Bail? Where is Kota, and the rebel leaders?"

"They're dead," Starkiller stated. "And so is Darth Vader. I am now Darth Starkiller, the Emperor's new apprentice."

For a moment, Juno said nothing. Then, she became angry.

"So you are now a slave to a new master then." Despite the neutral voice, there was disapproval and anger, but something else: fear and concern. Starkiller felt her emotions, but there was little he could do now. Whether he liked it or not, he was now the Emperor's right, and as such, anyone connected to him would be a target to some. Despite the dark side, Juno was still his weakness. He needed to protect her; perhaps someday, he could reconcile with her, but for now, he had many duties.

"Captain Juno Eclipse, I hereby promote you to head the Star Destroyer, _Executer_." It was for the best. They needed time from each other.

Juno understood immediately. "Yes, Lord Starkiller."

Starkiller nodded. "Once the Emperor has informed the Imperial Fleet that I am now his new enforcer, you will return to the _Executer_ effective immediately.

Juno gave a slight nod. She had her Captain Eclipse face on. No longer did Starkiller see any trace of Juno. He expected nothing less. It was suiting punishment for returning to what he always was.

Without so much as a word, they both boarded the ship. Juno set a course for the Imperial Fleet stationed around the incomplete _Executor_. Starkiller headed for his meditation/training chamber. PROXY followed suit, prepared to show the Hologram of the Emperor.

"Master, the Emperor is making contact."

"Put him through."

A shimmer of energy appeared around PROXY and his form transformed into the Emperor. Starkiller immediately fell to one knee.

"My master," He replied simply.

"Rise, Lord Starkiller."

Starkiller obediently rose and stood.

"It is time to show my new right hand to the Empire. I am now keying to every holo communicator in the galaxy. Only with my assurance will the Empire bow to you."

Starkiller bowed his head. Waiting for the Emperor to prepare his speech, he checked his attire for any flaws. He had changed into his Sith Robes. It was combination of armor and a hooded Sith Robe. He immediately disposed of his Jedi attire. They only reminded him when he turned to the light side, a power that was weak. The dark side was the true power in the Force.

Several honor guards stepped forward to deliver a small part.

"His majesty, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, wishes to deliver a message of vital importance. You majesty?"

The Emperor stepped forward. To everyone watching, Starkiller, with his hood on, stood next to the Emperor, along with the guards.

"Darth Vader, my former apprentice and right hand, is now dead."

Starkiller and the Emperor could sense the shock and surprise of the galaxy through the Force. Feeling certain that the words had sunk in, the Emperor continued.

"He has proven useful in the creation of the Emperor, but when he sustained life-threatening injuries, his powers in the Force was severed in half. For the past two decades, I have sought a new apprentice of Vader's caliber prior to his transformation. Now, I stand before you all to announce that Vader has been slain by the hands of my new apprentice. Darth Starkiller stepped forward."

Starkiller removed his hood from his robes. He then remained still, sensing the reactions of the galaxy. Some were laughing and mocking, others were fearing and uncertainty. They would all learn to fear and respect him in time. He would make certain of that.

"Because of his efforts, we have put down enemies of the Empire as well."

Starkiller saw the Emperor motion to someone else on the screen. A few honor guards stepped forward with bodies that he recognized as the Bail and the senators. The guards let the bodies fall to the ground, where they lay visible to the galaxy.

"Let this serve as an example to those who rebel against the Empire. Any sign of resistance will be met with being labeled as a traitor and hunted down to all ends of the galaxy."

Fear became more apparent in the Force.

The transmission ended. The Emperor turned to Starkiller. Starkiller stood at attention.

"What is thy bidding, my master?"

"For now, all you must do is return to the _Executer_ and await my arrival within the next few days. Get yourself acquainted with the officers of the fleet."

"As you command, master."

The Emperor became PROXY. The droid collapsed to his knees. Starkiller caught the droid before he fell to the ground.

"It seems that there are mixed reactions in the galaxy about you, master."

"Yes," he replied. "But they will all learn their place once I establish myself."

PROXY nodded in acknowledgement and left the meditation chamber to the cockpit, leaving Starkiller to meditate on the Force.

* * *

Princess Leia Organa stood there dumbstruck and angered. Darth Starkiller was the boy that had helped her escape Kashyyk, the one who had destroyed the skyhook. He claimed not to be serving the Emperor, but that was a lie. While she was grateful that Vader could no longer harm the galaxy, Starkiller was not someone to be reckoned with. If could defeat Vader, he was indeed powerful.

She was even more angered at the sight of her father dead as well as the other senators. Clearly, the Emperor had executed them in order to induce fear, but to Leia, it only inspired her more to action. Her mind worked furiously to think about the situation. With her father now dead, she would naturally take his place in the Imperial Senate. It could provide her with cover. She now needed to inspire others to actions, to show the galaxy that the Empire with a more powerful Sith Lord would do no good to the galaxy. More than ever, her loathing for the Empire had heightened.

As much anger as she felt towards The Emperor's new apprentice, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. She had seen some light within him, but was it there now? Where did he stand in this Empire? Her eyes turned to the symbol of the Marek Family symbol. Her father had shown her this before his capture. If there was to be a rebellion, there would need to be a flag to rally behind.

_A symbol, a symbol of hope in the galaxy…_

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi sat in his modest home, sensing many feelings and changes through the Force. He could sense that Vader had been killed, slain by a very powerful Sith. This had been unforeseen and unexpected. He never thought that any Jedi or Sith, save the Emperor, could stand up to Vader and defeat him. As he pondered this new development, the vision of Qui-Gon appeared before him.

"Master, do you feel a disturbance in the Force?"

"Yes. Darth Vader has now been slain. In his place is now the newly-anointed Darth Starkiller, a Sith Lord with an incredibly strong connection to the Force, possibly rivaling that of the Emperor."

Obi-Wan nodded. That meant that keeping both Luke and Leia protected from the Emperor and Starkiller was even more critical. If this new Sith was as powerful as Vader, then he could not be taken lightly. If he was as powerful as the Emperor, that made an especially dangerous Dark Lord.

"I believe that is now time to train the Chosen One's children,"Qui-Gon continued. "This Sith may bring the galaxy to its knees if he and the Emperor is not stopped, and now, only these children have the power to destroy the Sith once and for all."

"I understand, master. It will be done."

Qui-Gon vanished, leaving Obi-Wan with much to think about.

**Starkiller's story is far from over, but what will happen. How will the story differ from the Dark Side ending in the Force Unleashed? Stick around for the next chapter coming some time during the middle of September. Peace!**


End file.
